TRP: Larkin and Roddy (Team)
Muse: at 11:40 AM Morning 159 (post Ghostbusting). Roddy and Larkin bump into each other in the kitchen. Roddy was feeling pretty chipper today. Sure there was some confusing stuff- but he wasn't thinking about that right now. He was feeling better and was up moving around on his own, the ghost was dead, and he thought his magic felt a little stronger? Good day! Humming a little tune, a spooky song about ghosts and hauntings, he made his way to the kitchen. See what kind of food was in there. "Hey Larkin!" he greeted cheerfully, ducking around her and heading for the pantry. Oh hey, wait. Roddy backtracked, taking a second look. Yep, that was Larkin. "Hey, you're still here! I thought you might've split last night. S'good to see you more! Can I hug you?" Jen: at 11:55 AM Larkin heard Roddy approaching the kitchen long before he made it through the door. It was early morning and she'd expected to be up and out before anyone else woke up but it seemed, she wasn't the only one kicked out of bed by her stomach. Good thing she'd decided to stay the night. The castle kitchen was stocked up while all Cat and her had at their place in Glimmerton was bread and some carrots. Maybe she should take some down with her later. "Uh." Larkin turned her head to follow Roddy while chewing down the bites of apple and cheese. "Why?" Muse: at 11:58 AM That was a new reaction. Roddy had to think about that a second. "Cause I want to, I guess?" he said with a shrug. "And you wanted me to ask before I hugged you. I remember that." Jen: at 12:01 PM Had she? Larkin didn't remember. Being asked to hug was weird, though. She might have to take that back. "Yeah... thanks for that, I guess." She bit off more of the apple in her hand. "If it makes you happy...?" Muse: at 12:02 PM Roddy beamed and stepped closer, pulling Larkin into a quick side-hug, and patted her on the head as he let go. "You're welcome," he said. "Hey how long are you planning on sticking around this time?" Jen: at 12:54 PM Ugh, the head patting. Larkin stuffed more cheese after the apple to keep from snapping at him. Why did tall people like patting heads so much and why did they think they won't get stabbed for it. "'bout this long." She raised her half-eaten apple and cheese for him to see. "Going back to Glimmerton then." Muse: at 12:56 PM "Well how long are you gonna be in Glimmerton?" Roddy asked. That food reminded him what he'd come down for in the first place and he headed back for the pantry. "Maybe I'll come visit if you're gonna stick around for a few days!" he called over his shoulder, rummaging around for something to eat. Jen: at 12:59 PM "I'll... be around some. Better for you to no visit, though." She paused and watched him for a moment. "I'm working." Muse: at 1:02 PM Ah right, working. And with Larkin being in a gang and all, who knew what kind of work that was. Well- Larkin did. And what's to keep Roddy from asking? He found a couple fruits and re-joined Larkin at the table, sitting down across from her. "What kind of work?" he asked. "Maybe I could help. I don't like murder though, you know." Jen: at 1:04 PM She tilted her head back, sighing. "I'm not in the murder business. I think I told you that before." Muse: at 1:06 PM "Huh, did you? I forgot." Roddy took a minute to look at her, re-calculating. She had always seemed pretty chill with the idea of murdering someone. Didn't have to mean she was in the murder business, though. "What kind of crimes do you do then?" he asked. Jen: at 1:10 PM "What, you think I'm gonna answer to that?" Larkin chuckled and bit into the apple to buy some time. "I do what pays, Roddy. I'm just no contract killer is all I'm saying." Muse: at 1:12 PM "Hey, I'm not the town guard, I'm your teammate," Roddy said, getting offended. "I'm not gonna rat you out- I might even help." Jen: at 1:19 PM Larkin looked at him, considering. He did have some useful skills, and the right instincts - even though they semmed to have been curbed a bit by Hansel's parenting. Still, Larkin and her group were just getting set up. They had to be subtle and Roddy was... not that. "Nice of you to offer but... y'know, don't take this wrong the wrong way, but I need people who can keep their mouths shut and stay inconspicuous." Muse: at 1:23 PM Okay. You know, that was fair. "Yeah. Not my strongest suit," Roddy admitted. "Oh hey- what's the story your telling them though? I can back it up. And it won't look suspicious when I come visit you and stuff too," he said, grinning. Jen: at 1:27 PM Right, that was a damn good point. She should probably make sure all the Runners knew the story and wouldn't give her away on accident. Especially Sugar. That little idiot would neber catch on until it was too late. "Oh, I'm a cutler. Out of Skyport, looking to get out of the city, y'know." She tilted her head, thinking. "Yeah, you know maybe I've been coming 'round here, looking to get your tools fixed and knives sharped. Me and my little brother both. His name is Cat. Only other tiefling around." Muse: at 1:30 PM "Fake brother or real brother?" Roddy asked. Probably fake, but if he was real, that'd sure be interesting. Jen: at 1:30 PM "Fake. Don't have any siblings." Muse: at 1:36 PM "You either dodged an arrow or are really missing out," Roddy said. Only child then, which did seem to suit Larkin. "Right, cutler, getting out of the city with your brother Cat. Is that how we met?" he asked, leaning back and drumming his fingers on the table. "Hm. I dunno about you but I've never tried to befriend anybody like that. Unless we were planning to steal from them later."(edited) Jen: at 6:37 PM Larkin hummed a bit while chewing. Maybe they could get something going together. A good, old con. "How'd you do it? You and your family." Maybe he had an idea how to get more chummy with the villagers. Oh, and on the topic of family, they definitely needed to talk about his little brother. Larkin mentally marked that down for later. Muse: at 6:56 PM "Oh it'd depend. On the town, mostly. You have no idea some of the weird ideas some of these backwater villages get in their heads. That's why we'd have scouts go in a few days ahead of time, get a feel for the local culture- and hype up our circus of course." Roddy hummed lightly, turning ideas over in his mind. Best way to go about conning the townsfolk of Glimmerton... "Well on the plus side, this town seems pretty calm, once the bandits got taken care of. The town guard's useless, another good thing in this case. So you've got an identity- are you still Larkin here?- a reason for coming to town, and with these bumpkins that's probably good enough, especially with us backing you up- we're kinda heroes around here, what with the clearing out the bandits and all." Roddy took a second to grin, looking pleased with himself. "Yeah, just so long as everyone keeps their story strait then you should be just fine." Jen: at 7:05 PM Larkin smiled back at him, nodding slightly. "Just, that's the breaking point, right?. Problem is mostly people not keeping it shut." She stretched her arms out and yawned. Good gods, it was way too early and she'd have to walk back soon. "I kinda need to keep a low profile, though. They're not gonna stop being suspicious of me that quickly but I don't wanna have them think about my backstory too much either, you know." Muse: at 7:11 PM Roddy nodded along. "Yeah, I'm not as much used to the low profile thing. We were a circus, we were trying to get attention." Jen: at 7:19 PM "Yeah. Fair." Larkin finished the cheese, then got up to pack some more for Cat. "Anyway, I'm Larkin there, yeah. Just Larkin." She didn't feel very comfortable not using a fake name but it would be wasted effort. There were only two types of people in Glimmerton: those who didn't know who she was and would never, and those who worked for the guild and would know her on sight, or at least guess the newest addition to town wasn't just there for dull shears. In any case, the guild would be warned, fake name or no. "Hey," she said over her shoulder while packing cheese and dried fruit into a kitchen cloth, "maybe you can help me some other way, though." Muse: at 7:24 PM "Yeah- hey hold on a second." Roddy'd left his instruments upstairs- could cast without an instrument though. Didn't want to risk it, he'd just recovered after burning himself out again. Roddy grabbed a pan and a wooden spoon, that'd do. Tapped on it, hummed a little to get a feel for the sound. "I'm a bard, I need music," he offered as an explanation. Pots and spoons were a basic instrument, but it was enough to call up the magic for spellcasting. Roddy concentrated on the shapeshifting one, feeling that take hold. Teifling, he decided. Not Larkin, taller, redder, with longer horns. "Tada!" he said once the spell had finished, grinning and throwing his arms out. "Could have made myself look like you. Perfect alibi, right?" Jen: at 7:41 PM She turned and let out a whistle at the sight. "That's fucking impressive." She left the food on the counter and went to get a closer look, poking Roddy with a finger as if to see if the Illusion would fade. It didn't. Larkin grinned. "Yeah, I think there's some use for that. Like it." Muse: at 7:46 PM Roddy stood up so he could give a little bow, he was a circus kid after all. "I'm at your disposal," he said. "Especially if you pay me." Jen: at 7:52 PM Larkin grinned and gave a short laugh. "I sure will. See, that's what I like about you. You're rational." Muse: at 7:54 PM "Y'know people keep saying that. It's weird- I never considered myself the 'rational' type," Roddy commented. Maybe he ought to start believing it. Jen: at 8:10 PM "You got good gut instincts. At least with this kinda things. Better not let yourself be talked out of it." She titled her head at him for a moment, before turning back to finish packing. "You need to work on your people skills, though." Muse: at 8:15 PM "My people skills are fine," Roddy grumbled. Not really meaning it- he knew better. "Hey whatdya say I come into town later and stop by your shop? Maybe meet this 'brother' of yours?" Jen: at 8:18 PM "Don't get your hopes up, Roddy," she said lightly. "He's not looking to be adopted." Muse: at 8:19 PM What- Roddy stared at Larkin, utterly confused. What had she thought he'd meant by that? "Uh, I'll keep that in mind?" he said blankly. Jen: at 8:20 PM "Just saying. He might be a criminal little shit but he's no brother material for you." Muse: at 8:22 PM "Hang on- just what are you talking about now? I figured it'd be good to meet the person you were gonna be working with. Maybe make friends. I wasn't-I have enough family at the moment, I don't need to make it all more complicated by adding more!" Jen: at 8:24 PM Now that was... harsher than expected. Larkin turned around and leaned back against the counter. "Calm down. I was just making a joke." She frowned. "I saw Jonn last night. You know, the criminal little shit you actually call your brother." Muse: at 8:25 PM That took the wind right out of Roddy's sails. "You didn't hurt him, did you?" he asked lowly, crossing his arms. Hoped she'd say no. Didn't know what he'd do if she said yes.(edited) Jen: at 8:27 PM "No. He was with that masked asshole again." Muse: at 8:30 PM Oh good. Roddy breathed a sigh of relief. This was very very good. "Yeah? Well- he's got a friend too then. Good for him." Jen: at 8:33 PM "Yeah. Well. I don't think it's a friend, though. I know the guild and..." She shrugged. "It's strange. Something strange is going on with them." Roddy knew Larkin didn't like Jonn, but he loved the fucker for some reason. He wouldn't spill if he thought she'd use it to hurt Jonn, but maybe if Roddy thought, his friend was in danger... Muse: at 8:39 PM Roddy made a non-committal noise. Jonn would have said something if he was in trouble, right? Well. Maybe not. "I haven't talked to him about guild stuff, really," he said. Debated on how much more to say. Larkin was one of the ones that would happily murder Jonn if given the chance- Roddy didn't want to give it to her. "Maybe I'll ask, maybe I won't." Jen: at 8:44 PM "Hm. Yeah." Larkin scratched her neck and yawned again. Totally uninterested. "Not gonna lie, I don't give a shit about Jonn. He can go drown in a sewer if it were up to me, but," she glanced at Roddy, then continued before he could get all upset again. "But I know you care. So how about a deal? I wanna know all about the guild here. You gonna help me and tell me what you know. And in return I'll let you know if Jonn's in danger." Muse: at 8:46 PM "I don't trust you to not be the danger," Roddy said bluntly, staring her down. Jen: at 8:47 PM Larkin broke into a grin. "See? Common sense." Muse: at 8:49 PM Roddy narrowed his eyes at her. This was confirming his suspicion that she would go after his brother- the one he liked. "Yeah. I'm not telling you anything." Jen: at 8:52 PM The grin dropped. "I'm not trying to trick you into handing me Jonn's ass." She took the food bundle off the counter and stuffed it beneath her shirt. "I'm here for the guild, not for Jonn. If helping him is what it takes to get the intel I need... " She shrugged again. "I'd rather think of it as helping a team mate. You." Muse: at 9:49 PM Roddy was torn. On the one hand, he'd like to think she was telling the truth. On the other... could he risk it if she wasn't? "We'll see," he said instead. January 12, 2019 Jen: at 6:33 AM Larkin considered asking what she'd done to him to earn that mistrust. That Roddy trusted Jonn who had betrayed them already, while she hadn't done anything like that. Truth was, though, that Roddy was right. She was trying to trick him. A turtle with good gut instincts indeed. She couldn't blame him. She waved it off. "Yeah. Offer stands, if you change your mind. I'll be gathering information about the guild anyway. Will just take longer this way." Muse: at 9:51 AM This was going to be a problem at some point, wasn't it? Roddy shifted restlessly, a spike of worry running through his gut. Well it wasn't a problem now at least. Had time to work on averting it. "I'd wish you good luck but I think I'd be lying," he said instead. "I'll- see you around." Jen: at 11:45 AM Damn, this hadn't gone as she had hoped. She had miscalculated his reactions and now she'd have to do something that might make things even worse. Larkin was silent for a moment, holding eye contact. "Roddy," she said slowly, "You're not gonna snitch on me to Jonn, are you?" Muse: at 12:22 PM Roddy had to stop and think about that one. He hadn't made any plans, but Larkin was asking about them now. Should he even tell her the truth? Larkin was his teammate, but Jonn was his brother. "I hadn't planned on it," he said. "Guess I can keep my mouth shut." Jen: at 12:29 PM "You guess?" Larkin shook her head. "Guessing's not good enough. Look, I told you that because I though we're crew and that I could fucking trust you." She crossed her arms, fingers of one hand slipping between the buttons of her shirt and finding the handle of a knife there. She didn't mean to use it but hoped, the gesture would give her words more weight. "I was even gonna share my intel with you. Don't make me fucking regret it." Muse: at 12:38 PM Was she threatening him now? Great. Roddy'd hoped to be better friends with Larkin, and it was looking like the exact opposite was happening. "Well if you are gonna regret it, I guess you don't have to then," he said. Let the teifling form melt away so he was back in his own skin- felt better this way. "I do have your back, I've had your back against Diva, against bandits, against a ghost just yesterday! But I'm not gonna have your back against Jonn. Burn down the guild if you want to, I don't really care about that, but leave my brother alone." As he spoke, he stepped closer until he was towering over her, poking her in the chest for emphasis. Jen: at 5:49 PM Larkin didn't move. Her hand clenched around the knife but it didn't come out. She glared up at Roddy, refusing to budge even as he poked her. "Else what? What're you gonna do?" Muse: at 6:09 PM Roddy faltered. What would he do? Larkin was team- but Jonn was family. "I don't know," he said, finally. "And I'd appreciate not having to find out." Jen: at 6:24 PM "I'd appreciate that, too." She stepped away from and around Roddy. "I like you, y'know, but if you give me trouble, that's not gonna stop me from doing whatever it is I have to do." She let that hang for a moment. "Just don't mess with me and we can stay friends," she said and forced a half smile. Muse: at 6:27 PM "Yeah well, same to you," Roddy snapped back bitterly. Jen: at 6:49 PM Larkin snorted and smirked. He might have good instincts but they did seem to work rather selectively. Pointing out how she was one he'd better not make his enemy would probably only upset him more - also, she'd warned him already. There was no point in insisting on how terribly dangerous she was. That never worked until people went to find out. "Anyway. I wasn't trying to antagonize you. You can still hit me up if you need something." She raised a hand, then turned to leave. Muse: at 7:05 PM Roddy grumbled under his breath, nothing distinct, mostly a vocal expression of his irritation. He'd have to keep an eye on Larkin- and he hated that was necessary. "Yeah well, I'll see you around," he called. Mentally resolving never to ask her for anything. Muse: at 7:38 PM END Title: Team Summary: Roddy and Larkin are having a chat, Roddy offers his help to Larkin on integrating into the town. The conversation turns sour when the topic shifts to Jonn. January 14, 2019 Category:Text Roleplay